Insider

Twenty-seven

I didn't die.  That would have been a shitty ending.  

I vaguely remember James carrying me to a van outside.  Sharon gave me something for overdoses, and I said something along the lines of, "This hurts like fucking hell,"  Then, I passed out.  

Sunlight spilled across my eyelids, and I awoke to a pink and orange sky.  All of my muscles felt stiff and sore, but my vision was sharp and I was no longer dizzy.  The room around me was pretty, decorated with plants and beaded curtains.  There was a lovely bay window with a view of a lake shimmering like stars underneath a warm sunset.  Even my bed was colourful and had a pale blue and green quilt.  This was peace, and I didn't even have to get to heaven to find it.

On the table next to me, I saw a card with hand-sketched yellow birds.  "Get well soon" it wrote, signed by Rose.  Behind it was a drawn picture of me and another girl much younger, with copper skin and a shining smile.  Scrawled on its corner was "Love, Jasmine"

"Jasmine," I whispered, everything flooding back to me.  I looked at my clothes- they were still the ones from the fight- it couldn't have been that long ago.  And if I was near death, what had happened to Trish?  The fight wasn't over, not yet.

An intravenous of fluid was hooked to my hand.  Clenching my jaw, I pulled out the needle and wiped away the blood with my jacket sleeve.  I hopped out of bed and made my way to the door.  Every step ached, my legs felt worn down like they had been running forever.  I was only to be met by Sharon and Shuri.  "Elissa," exclaimed the princess, "You are awake already?"

I leaned against the wall for support and asked, "How long has it been?"

"Only a few hours, but you still need to rest-" said Shuri.

But I interjected, "Where's Trish?"

After making me sit back down and handing me a glass of water, Shuri and Sharon filled me in on what had happened in those hours that I had missed.  

Me collapsing surprised everyone, including Trish.  Crimson Night saw the effects of their drug for the first time, as did the other gangs.  Everyone was quick to comply after that, the arrests began.  Many of the gang members were sent to local police stations, but Trish returned with us to where we were now:  The Avengers compound.  

Trish didn't say anything, but her condition deteriorated rapidly.  She ended up like me, convulsing on the ground.  Except that when I woke up, Trish was still fighting for her life.  The only good news was that both Rose and Jasmine were safe with us and were being taken care of by S.H.I.E.L.D..  "The only thing that you need to do is recover." instructed Sharon.  "We'll take care of Trish, and when you're ready you can see her."

I wanted to protest, but was too fatigued to do anything except nod.  So, I was left on my own.  I shuffled around my room, wondering if it would be the one I could call my own.  Someone had left some of the clothes I had collected over the weeks of being at the Triskelion, and had organized them into a wooden drawer.  I found my yellow sweater and a pair of leggings, and after putting them on I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling.  It's over, I told myself, letting tears shed.  It's over, it's over, it's over...

"Lissy?" a young girl's voice piped up.  Rolling over, I opened my eyes and saw bright-eyed Jasmine.  She was at my bedside holding up another hand drawn picture.  Her wide grin was enough to make me smile my crooked smile.  This time morning light had spilled into the room, symbolizing the start of something new.  I sat up and let Jasmine climb onto the bed beside me.  "Did you make this for me?" I asked, and she nodded sweetly.

It was a girl with a red 'X' on the side of her face, but she wore a rainbow cape, and stood under multicoloured letters spelling 'My Hero'.  "It's you," Jazzy told me.

"It's beautiful," I said, my smile growing even bigger.  

I had no idea if Jasmine knew what had happened to her mother, or if she had detached Patricia Cruz and the rest of Crimson Night from her life.  I just saw a glimpse of me all those years ago- a little girl making daisy chains without a care in the world.  However, this time I would make sure that things would be done properly, and Jasmine would never be alone.  Maybe my father or my brother were watching me at the moment, and I understood that their mantle had now been passed to me; it was my turn to be kind to the world.

Jasmine's golden brown eyes still sparkled, but her cheeks were damp with tears.  "Is everything okay, Jazzy?" I asked her.

"I don't know if I should be happy or sad," the girl confessed, "I'm happy 'cause I'm with you, but I'm also sad because my dad's not here."

The words flowed naturally as I told her, "He is here.  So are my parents and my brother.  Just because they're not here in person doesn't mean we have to forget them.  We still have our good memories together."

"What can we do with memories?"

I replied sincerely, "You use memories to honour them, you do good things.  That's what I'm gonna do now."

"I think I'll do that too,"

I laughed and said, "Thank you,"  

We both stared at the window overlooking the lake, which was a faded sapphire blue.  And just like that, it was as if time had stopped.  This was peace, and although it was far from perfect it still was happy.  I closed my eyes and basked in the sunlight.  This was what I wanted.

"Elissa?" asked Jasmine.

"Yes?"

"Are you home for good now?"

Very confidentally, I assured her, "Yes.  I am home for good now."